2023-07-05 14:57:20
© AFP 2017-2023. All rights reserved.
Homemade vitamin B1 spray is not a remedy for mosquito bites – contrary to such claims that are currently circulating on social networks. Health experts and scientists even warn once morest resorting to such homemade remedies as it puts you at risk of dangerous mosquito-borne diseases.
“Take five tablets of vitamin B1 and water to dilute and dissolve them in, and then spray the solution on the body to repel mosquitoes,” explains a woman in Chinese in a video posted on Douyinthe Chinese version of Tiktok.
“It works because mosquitoes are particularly afraid of the smell of vitamin B1, but humans don’t feel anything,” she continues.
Since the video was posted on May 31, 2023, it has been shared over 63,000 times.
Douyin screenshot of claim: June 26, 2023
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned in April 2023 that climate change is the spread of Denguefieber and others Diseases that are transmitted by mosquitoes is accelerating and that global outbreaks might be imminent.
Claims containing vitamin B1, too Thiamin touted as mosquito repellents have also been featured in articles on the Chinese website Zhihu and the social network Xiaohongshu spread.
Thiamine as a dietary supplement is widely available over the counter in tablet, capsule, and liquid forms.
The vitamin plays an important role in the growth and function of body cells, but cannot be used to prevent mosquito bites, both a mosquito researcher and disease experts independently told AFP.
Ineffective repellent
“The use of thiamine as a mosquito repellent has been extensively tested on humans and animals for over 80 years and it just doesn’t work,” explained Women of Shelomassociate professor of entomology at National University of Taiwan told AFP on June 27, 2023.
“You might bathe in thiamine water and still get bitten by mosquitoes,” he added. “It’s useless as a deterrent, but myths never die.”
Shelomi published a scientific paper in February 2022 literature review in the Bulletin of Entomological Research. To do this, he examined 49 papers, 16 guidelines for preventing insect bites and four government documents.
The protective effect of vitamin B1 once morest mosquito bites was not reported in any of the papers examined.
Inadequate protection makes people vulnerable to mosquito bites and puts them at risk for diseases such as Malaria, Denguefieber or the Zika-Virus off, according to Shelomi.
Donald Byzantium is senior epidemiologist at the US non-profit scientific research organization Research Triangle Institute. He told AFP on June 24, 2023: “Mosquitoes that transmit dengue fever are active during the day. Like other vitamins, vitamin B1 is very sensitive to daylight.”
He further said, “When vitamin B1 is diluted in a solution, it is rapidly degraded by sunlight following spraying.”
Daniel Markowski is a technical advisor to the American Mosquito Control Association, a non-profit organization. He told AFP on June 27, 2023: “Mosquito-borne diseases are a very serious and real threat.”
Markowski and other experts have pointed out that one can use effective repellents from the health authorities recognized ingredients to prevent mosquito bites.
These ingredients include diethyltoluamide (DEET), Icaridin and other fabrics.
Conclusion: Vitamin B1, also called thiamine, dissolved in water does not help to prevent mosquito bites. This was explained by scientists and health experts to AFP. On the other hand, repellents with ingredients recognized by health authorities such as DEET or Icaridin are effective.
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